Patrols stepped up after needle find in Selkirk

Published:14:55Saturday 21 April 2012

POLICE and community wardens in Selkirk are stepping up their patrols in and around the town’s Glebe Park after hypodermic needles were discovered during the first week of the Easter school holidays, writes Andrew Keddie.

The news was conveyed to last week’s meeting of the community council by Kenneth Gunn, who represents Selkirkshire on Scottish Borders Council.

Councillor Gunn said the needles, one of which had been used, had been found in a box at the foot of steps leading to the park from Bemersyde Crescent but, as yet, the police did not know who was responsible for discarding them.

“Glebe Park is not an area which is normally patrolled and it is very worrying that this happened so close to the town centre while children were on holiday,” he said. “However, the park is now being patrolled on a regular basis. It seems the area requiring patrols is becoming wider and wider in Selkirk.”

The incident was not included in the written monthly report of community police officer PC Roy Brown who revealed that there had been 161 incidents attended by the police in Selkirk during the preceding month.

In the same period, 18 crimes had been recorded and nine solved.

Of the recorded crimes, three had been assaults and six were incidents of vandalism, happening mainly in the town centre area. There had also been one breach of the peace and an attempted theft in Dunsdale Road.

Road traffic and misuse of drugs offences made up the rest of the recorded crimes.

“Over the past months, there have been 18 youth calls in the Selkirk area, with seven in West Port and five in High Street,” said PC Brown. “The majority of these calls occurred on a Friday and Monday night [seven and six respectively], and specific operations are being organised to tackle the problem on these nights.”

The meeting heard there had also been two seizures of alcohol from underagers in the town centre.

Community council chairman Graham Easton noted there had been a “steep rise” in calls to the police, adding: “This is a bit disappointing.”